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Dialectical Thinking and Coping Flexibility: A Multimethod Approach
Author(s) -
Cheng Cecilia
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.082
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1467-6494
pISSN - 0022-3506
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2008.00555.x
Subject(s) - coping (psychology) , psychology , dialectic , anxiety , priming (agriculture) , dialectical behavior therapy , clinical psychology , social psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , philosophy , botany , germination , borderline personality disorder , epistemology , biology
Coping flexibility refers to the formulation of flexible coping strategies that meet distinct demands under changing circumstances. Dialectical thinking was proposed to be related to flexible coping across situations. The hypothesized link between dialectical thinking and coping flexibility was explored by a multimethod approach. In Study 1, the association between dialectical thinking and coping flexibility was examined using a cross‐sectional design. In Study 2, the hypothesized link was tested using an experimental paradigm in which dialectical thinking was manipulated by priming procedures. Participants' responses to different hypothetical stressful situations were assessed after priming. Study 3 adopted a prospective design in which dialectical thinking assessed at an initial phase was a predictor of changes in coping flexibility and state anxiety over a 12‐month period. Results from the three studies consistently revealed a positive relationship between dialectical thinking and coping flexibility.